2020

2020 – Year in Exploration

Other Years: 201620172018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023

Stats:

  • 1 website complete crash
  • 6 months rebuilding
  • 99 locations explored
    • Coming back to update this with a breakdown
  • 150,878 website views
  • 1,017 hours of YouTube movies watched
Story of 2020

  • exploreCT.org’s 2020 mirrored the tumultuousness of the real world. I had the stirrings of server problems at the end of 2019 continuing through January and February until [The Great Crash] came in March.
  • I was forced to delete my site, lose my backups, and rebuild from square one
  • Rebuilding was much slower than I expected taking a full six months to get [Back to 100%]. But, the site was stronger, faster, better; or so I thought.
  • In the Fall, cleared from rebuilding the site, I had a list of changes accumulated that I was looking to fix. I would update one aspect, fix a gap, tweak and customize only to realize doing so had broken elements of my site and exposed weaknesses I didn’t know where there.
  • These broken elements and weaknesses were technical jargon filled messes. But, I treated it like a puzzle in a video game. I had to solve this puzzle by reading notes left by others (questions in online forums) piecing the disparate information together while figuring out how it applied to the unfamiliar style of puzzle in front of me. Let me tell you, it was SO satisfying to finally unlock the puzzle and fix the issues.
  • Heading into 2021, the site is (for now) at its best point ever and well positioned to in breadth, depth, and usefulness.

Higganum Reservoir

★★☆☆☆

41.489029, -72.561924

Higganum Reservoir State Park Connecticut State Park 147 acres in Haddam, CT Parking:  Small lot near 54 Killingworth Rd Higganum, CT Shoulder parking for boat launch past…

Millers Pond State Park

★★★☆☆

41.479883, -72.629513

Millers Pond State Park Connecticut State Park 280 acres in Durham and Haddam, CT Parking: Large lot at 344 Foot Hills Rd, Durham, CT Trail Map   …

Fenton Tract

★★★☆☆

41.824717, -72.237417

Fenton Tract University of Connecticut Open Space 579 acres in Mansfield, CT Parking: Shoulder parking near 2696 Horsebarn Hill Rd Mansfield, CT Small pull-off near 138 Old Turnpike…

Dorwart Preserve

★★☆☆☆

41.796344, -72.195826

Dorwart Preserve and Lion’s Memorial Park Mansfield Town Parks 125 acres in Mansfield, CT Parking: Small pull-off near 215 Mulberry Rd Mansfield, CT Trail Map     …

Barn Island

★★★★☆

41.340596, -71.874711

Barn Island Wildlife Management Area Connecticut Wildlife Management Area 1,013 acres in Stonington, CT Parking: West Side: Shoulder parking and boat launch near 249 Palmer Neck Rd,…

Camp Columbia State Park

★★★★☆

315 West St, Morris, CT 06763, USA

Camp Columbia Connecticut State Park / State Forest 600 acres in Morris, CT Parking: Small lot near 315 West St Morris, CT Trail Map       …

Bigelow Hollow State Park

★★★★☆

41.994655, -72.130835

Bigelow Hollow State Park Connecticut State Park / Nipmuck State Forest 516 acres in Union, CT Parking: Several large lots along the park’s road off CT-171. Trail… Read more…

Belding Wildlife Management Area

★★☆☆☆

41.831035, -72.447298

Belding Wildlife Management Area Connecticut State WMA 282 acres in Vernon, CT Parking: Lots of shoulder parking near 3 Bread and Milk Rd Vernon, CT Shoulder parking…

Fifty Foot Cliff Preserve

★★★☆☆

41.790196, -72.212954

Fifty Foot Cliff Preserve Mansfield Town Park 102 acres in Mansfield, CT Parking: Small lot behind the Mansfield Historical Society at 954 Storrs Rd, Storrs, CT or from… Read more…

Nipmuck Trail: Pixie Falls

★★☆☆☆

41.902388, -72.164776

Nipmuck Trail : Pixie Falls / Natchaug Trail: North Terminus Connecticut State Forest and Blue-Blaze Trail in Ashford, CT Parking: South End: Small pull-off near 32 Iron Mine…